Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 110760 on courts: Sunderland, for what reasons he failed to engage with the invitation to visit the court building in Sunderland.

A further meeting with the Hon. Member to restate the actions taken by HM Courts & Tribunals Service in Sunderland would be welcome and can be arranged. Diary pressures over the coming weeks would, however, preclude a visit to Sunderland.

The recent decision to integrate Sunderland County Court into the Sunderland Magistrates' Court building will enable us to focus our investment into a single court in Sunderland. This will result in a better standard of accomodation and improve the experience of those who use the court.